Cary plans road, water main improvements

CARY – About $2.5 million in road and water main work in the village is planned for the upcoming construction season.

Village officials plan to resurface a little more than 10,000 feet of road beginning in early August. The work is expected take about two months, Public Works Director Cris Papierniak said.

On West James Way and on West Margaret Terrace, workers will install curbs and gutters and install storm sewers and new water mains, as well.

Work on Alicia Drive, Wooded Knoll Drive, Carl Sands Drive, East James Way, Claire Lane and Bell Drive will include removal of the asphalt binder and surface, and spot repairs to the curbs, gutters, sidewalks and roadway base.

Village staff members evaluate and choose roads to fix based on roadway condition, traffic use, its classification and utility coordination, among other factors.

To prepare for the work, Christopher Burke Engineering, based in Rosemont, was approved Tuesday by the Village Board to design the road, curbs and gutters, and water main improvements. The firm will perform the design work for $120,400.

The construction work is estimated to cost $2.5 million.

The village is allocating $1.5 million in motor fuel tax revenues to cover the road portion of the projects. The remaining $1.2 million will come out of water and sewer funds.

Every five years the village does a survey of its roads where a vehicle, with a mounted laser camera, scans and inventories asphalt deficiencies. The camera gathers information on roughness of the road, ruts and cracks, among other things.

The last road survey was done in 2010.

This information is used along with information from Public Works crew members who plow roads and fill potholes to determine which streets need resurfacing, Papierniak said.

Trustee Bruce Kaplan pointed out that some trustees live on the roads that are being resurfaced, and wanted to make sure that was coincidental.

Papierniak reassured board members the village chose streets based on road conditions.
“I haven’t received any pressure from anyone on the board,” Papierniak said.

Papierniak said he tries to schedule road improvements to take place at the same time as utility projects such as water main improvements so a new road doesn’t have to be redone.